“She and Maddy went to the beach with Charlie,” Holly told him. “And presumably Duke, who loves going with them. They’re collecting more shells for decorations Jane wants.”
Gabe nodded, relief visible on his face. “Thanks. I’ll go tell Jane.”
Holly could see the worry in his expression, and she realized he was clearly concerned about Jane after yesterday’s bombshell from Pamela. The entire inn seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the next crisis.
Holly took a deep breath before approaching the first floor where she was supposed to meet Jack. She pushed all her uncertainty away and tried to bring back the normalcy and ease that had been between them just days ago. A light tone. A warm smile. Pretending everything was fine.
She saw Jack already there, trying to do the same. They wereboth working hard at pretending. Both were failing slightly, but at least they were appreciating the effort.
Soon they were into the swing of things, mapping out the next few days of work. They needed to finish this floor. Six more rooms needed to be ready before Christmas week. The timeline was tight, but it was doable if they stayed focused.
They worked together like they always had. Measuring, planning, and discussing materials. The familiar rhythm helped ease some of the tension between them, and Holly found herself relaxing slightly into the work.
Jack made suggestions about the crown molding, and Holly agreed, adding her own ideas about paint colors. They were finding middle ground, the way they always did when it came to the inn.
There were moments where it felt easy again. Where they laughed at a shared joke. Where their hands brushed as they both reached for the same tool at the same time. Moments where Holly could almost forget about Simon and Terry and the threat hanging over the inn.
But the underlying tension was still there, sitting beneath the surface like a fault line waiting to crack through.
They were about to break for lunch when Holly’s phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Then she froze completely.
It was Simon. “We need to talk urgently.”
Holly’s jaw clenched. Anger and frustration warred with anxiety in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
“Do you need to go?” Jack asked. His voice was carefully neutral, but Holly heard the undertone. “We don’t have to have lunch together.”
Holly heard the catch in his voice, the hurt hidden beneath the casual words.
“I just have to see Charlie quickly,” Holly said, trying to sound casual even though her heart was pounding. “You grab us a table and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Jack gave her a tight smile that did not quite reach his eyes. “Sure. Take your time.”
Holly watched him walk away, and she could feel their fragile relationship cracking a bit more with each step he took. The distance was growing, and she did not know how to stop it.
She went to find Charlie, needing advice and backup. She couldn’t deal with Simon alone.
Holly found Charlie in the library. Logan had gone to get them lunch, and Charlie was surrounded by papers and her laptop, deep in research mode.
“Charlie,” Holly said in a low voice, urgent but quiet. She pushed her phone toward her sister with Simon’s message still open on the screen. “What do I do?”
Charlie picked up the phone and read themessage. Her expression hardened. Then she started typing without asking permission.
“Meet me at Corner Café in St. Augustine at noon tomorrow.”
The dots appeared almost immediately. Simon was typing his response. Then the message popped up: “I’ll be there.”
Holly looked at her sister, confused and slightly panicked. “What did you do that for?” Her eyes searched Charlie’s face. “I thought you didn’t want me speaking to him alone.”
“You won’t be,” Charlie told her firmly, meeting Holly’s eyes with steady confidence. “I’ll be there with you.”
Relief flooded through Holly. She would not have to face Simon alone. Charlie would be there, her lawyer sister as armor and protection.
But worry remained. Meeting Simon at all felt dangerous, like opening a door she had worked so hard to close.
“We need to find out what he really wants,” Charlie said, reading Holly’s expression with the accuracy that came from a lifetime of being sisters. “And I need to see his face when we ask certain questions. Body language tells the truth even when words don’t.”
